Customer First Thinking
Stephen Shaw
Businesses everywhere are struggling with change due to digital disruption. They are now at an inflection point: give up obsolete marketing practices, or risk being denied a meaningful role in the lives of people. The goal is no longer to amplify the voice of the brand – it is to serve the needs and interests of customers at every stage of the relationship lifecycle. This new marketing model is characterized by the strategic embrace of Customer First Thinking, where the emphasis is on delivering a more unified experience for customers. More than simply a platitude, this idea has evolved into a set of governing principles that can transform the corporate role of marketing from brand messenger to customer advocate.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 20, 2023 • 1h 6min
Brand Community: An Interview with Mark Schaefer, Executive Director, Schaefer Marketing Solutions
To turn customers into lifelong fans, brands will need to put community development at the heart of their marketing plans. It is the "last great marketing strategy", according to the acclaimed marketing consultant Mark Schaefer. People "long to belong", he says, and that presents an opportunity to connect with them on a more meaningful level.
Dec 16, 2022 • 57min
Loyalty 2.0: An Interview with Matthew Seagrim, Senior Vice President, Scene+
In a bid to earn front-of-the-wallet status, the Scene loyalty program has been transformed into a full-fledged coalition program with the addition of new partners in the grocery, e-commerce and travel sectors. But its greatest strength, claims Scene's Senior Vice President Matthew Seagrim, is its strategic emphasis on creating membership value.
Nov 16, 2022 • 1h 5min
Brand Activism: An Interview with Scott Goodson, Founder and CEO, StrawberryFrog
Many corporate leaders now accept the need to define a brand purpose beyond making a profit. Yet most purpose statements fail to resonate with people. The only way to excite all stakeholders, argues Scott Goodson, is to activate it through a grassroots social movement.
Oct 30, 2022 • 1h 6min
Lifestyle Segmentation: An Interview with Jan Kestle, Founder and CEO, Environics Analytics
Marketers have relied on lifestyle segmentation for half a century now, targeting people based on their shared values, interests, and attitudes. And it remains a highly effective tool even in a digital age due to the increasing segregation of society into like-minded communities, according to Jan Kestle, head of Canada's largest marketing analytics company.
Oct 3, 2022 • 1h 9min
The Customer Experience Gap: An Interview with Colin Shaw, CX Pioneer and Founder/CEO, Beyond Philosophy
Despite all of the effort being made by businesses to improve the customer experience, it is not paying off in higher satisfaction ratings. A large gap still exists between what customers expect of that experience and how they actually feel about it. What businesses need to do, advises CX pioneer Colin Shaw, is design a more memorable experience, focusing on those parts of the customer journey that evoke the greatest emotion.
Jul 26, 2022 • 1h 5min
Transformative Marketing: An Interview with Professor V. Kumar, Ph.D Marketing at St. John's University (NYC), CEO of IMC Institute
Every transformative era in the evolution of marketing has been triggered by a dramatic shift in people's media habits. Now marketing has entered a new phase of evolution, according to Professor V. Kumar, only this time the catalyst for change is the desire of customers for more meaningful engagement.
Jun 20, 2022 • 1h 6min
Marketing Accountability: An Interview with Neil Bendle, Chair of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board
Finance and marketing have always been implacable foes, unable to agree on the performance metrics that matter. Before they can ever see eye to eye, suggest MASB's Neil Bendle, they need to develop a standardized measurement model that validates the contribution of marketing to the financial health of the business.
May 12, 2022 • 1h 7min
E-Mail Still Rules: An Interview with Chad White, Head of Research, Oracle Marketing Consulting
Despite its lowly status e-mail marketing continues to thrive as a media channel. The reason for its enduring popularity amongst marketers, according to leading e-mail expert Chad White: its versatility as a one-to-one communication medium.
Mar 12, 2022 • 59min
A Question of Loyalty: An Interview with Fred Reichheld, Loyalty Guru and Creator of the Net Promoter System
The Net Promoter Score has become the primary method of calculating customer loyalty, adopted by companies everywhere as a beacon metric. Earning a top NPS score often requires a big shift in management culture, according to its creator Fred Reichheld, driven by a top-down commitment to enrich people's lives.
Jan 23, 2022 • 1h 1min
The Connected Omnichannel Experience: An Interview with Marty Kihn, SVP Strategy, SalesForce
In a post-cookie world marketing will need to give up campaign-building in favour of delivering a more dynamic and real-time omnichannel customer experience. But the quality of that experience will hinge on harnessing first-party data to drive more personalized interactions. And that will require a single view of customer tightly connected to a next generation engagement platform, according to SalesForce's Marty Kihn.
